In addition to the Honda Fit EV concept unveiled at the L.A. auto show, the big “H” rolled out a plug-in hybrid platform intended for use in a mid-size sedan. Like the disembodied Delahayes and Duesenbergs crowding the chassis class at the more enlightened concours (have you ever paid attention to how beautiful a chassis can be?), Honda’s plug-in platform is just a backbone and a drivetrain.

Actually, it’s not really even that. It’s a battery pack connected to a drivetrain by some theoretical wiring represented by glowing white tubes, with white plastic rings representing wheels, and no real suspension. If Honda is going to bring something on this platform to market by 2012—which it says it will—hopefully someone somewhere has a more highly developed mule.

Honda claims that this platform has the ability to run as either an electric vehicle, as a gas-electric hybrid, or as a gas-powered vehicle. When in the hybrid or gas-powered modes, a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder paired with a CVT provides motivation. The new plug-in hybrid uses two motors instead of the current Integrated Motor Assist system’s one: A generator spun by the engine—and regenerative braking—keeps the battery pack charged. For fully electric operation, a 6-kWh lithium-ion battery powers a 161-hp electric motor. Honda claims to have a unique direct-drive function for efficient engine-only high-speed cruising.

The battery pack can be fully charged in 2 to 2.5 hours on a 120-volt outlet, or 1 to 1.5 on a 240-volt plug. On a full charge, the platform (presumably with a body attached) is said to be capable of 10 to 15 miles of travel before the gas engine is needed, with electric-only speed limited to 62 mph. The year 2012 sounds awfully futuristic to most people, but the fact is, we’re barely a year away from the beginning of that annum. In the meantime, it looks like someone at Honda has got a lot of work to do.